VINCENT BONSIGNORE: Dwight Howard doesn't sound like Lakers material

If you were looking for Dwight Howard to tip his hand about his future with the Lakers, Tuesday was not your day.

"I want to get away from everything and focus on me and making the decision for me," Howard said after his exit meeting with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak.

"And that's not happening today."

If you were expecting him to come out and express his undying devotion to the purple and gold, or even just a warm feeling and the upcoming free agency thing is just a mere formality before he signs a long-term contract to stay in Los Angeles, Howard isn't your guy.

"For me, I'm going to do what's best for myself, what's going to make me happy," Howard said.

Does that sound like a guy who needs to be talked out of playing for the Lakers? Or into it?

Based on his words, body language and demeanor Tuesday, I'm beginning to lean toward the latter.

It wasn't just what Howard said, but what he didn't say.

He compared his first season in Los Angeles to a nightmare in which he couldn't escape from being the bad guy. But he never mentioned the motivation to come back next year, confront the boogeyman once and for all and make things right.

He did say there were positives about playing for in Los Angeles, but he quickly pointed out it has its share of negatives, too.

"It's the best place to be when you win," Howard said. "When you're losing, it's not so good."

Funny, he expressed no inclination to sticking around and finding out what L.A. has to offer the next superstar to lead the Lakers to a championship.

The truth is, Howard didn't talk much about the Lakers at all. As usual, it was all about him.

He said he needed to get away from the raw emotions of the season in order to make an intelligent, wise choice about where he wants to spend the next four to five years of his life.

He talked about making a decision that satisfies himself and one that meets his needs and his objectives.

"I'll do what's going to be best for myself, what's going to make me happy," he said.

But he wouldn't address where the Lakers fit into that process.

"We're not going to talk about that today," Howard repeated.

Living and playing in Los Angeles?

Howard said it wasn't as sunny as he imagined.

"It rained a lot," Howard said.

The challenge and responsibility of being a star player for the Lakers?

"Some days it's good, when I have a good game," Howard said. "Some days it's not so good."

Does he envision a time he'd be happy wearing the uniform of the Lakers, the team that can offer a longer contract and more money than anyone else?

He wouldn't go there.

"I'm not going to talk about that," Howard said.

What he did talk about was how this decision was all about him.

"I can't control who likes me, who dislikes me, but I have the right to be happy," he said.

With that he was gone, off to somewhere quiet and peaceful where he can contemplate whether he wants to make a long-term commitment to the Lakers.

And that's his right.

He's put in the necessary time to dictate where he'll go to spend the next phase of his career. And if he's wise, he'll take all the time he needs to make that decision.

But if you're the Lakers, ask yourself this: If someone has to think long and hard about playing for one of the most storied franchises in sports - and can offer more money than anyone else - how badly does he really want to stay?

I don't know about you, but after Tuesday that seemed lukewarm at best.